Dry valve



Febs 10, 1925.

c. ADAMS, JR

DRY VALVE Y Filed June l2, 1919 s 21E@ 4 .i

Il t) Patented Feb. 10, 1925.

UNITED STATES CHARLES ADAMS,

JR., OF WEEHAVJKEN, NEW JERSEY, ASSGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 SYDNEY F. VTTSTON, 0F NEVI YORK, N. Y.

DRY VALVE.

Application led June 12,

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES ADAMS, Jr.,V a citizen of the United States, residing in l/Veehawken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dry Valves, of which the following is a specification.

ly present invention relates to an im* roved valve control which is particularly applicable to use in fire-extinguishing 'devices or apparatus, and which involves the important feature of simplicity of the parts, andthe positive manner in which the various elements or parts comprised in my valve control operate.

Another feature is that the differential action of the air valve portion of myy invention is utilized to lock the water valve portion thereof.

And another feature of my invention is that all the operative valve actuating mechanism is confined within a single body portion, and outside of the normal pressure zones of either the air or the water system with which my invention may be connected.

In the accompanying drawings which form part of my specification,

Figure 1, is a longitudinal sectional view of my valve control showing the operative parts in locked position.

Figure 2, is a plan view of the diaphragm or flexing member thereof with the air valve mounted thereon.

Figure 3, is a plan view of the water valve locking and unlocking mechanism.

Figure ll, is a fragmentary front elevation showing the latch means between the water valve and the air valve of my valve control.

Similar reference letters and numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

My valve control is provided with a containing body or case generally denoted by A, comprising an upper half or body portion 1 which l term an air-pressure body portion and a lower half or body portion 2, which l term an intermediate body portion, Figure 1, the portions being provided respectively with securing or pipe flanges 3 and el, for. connection with a pipe system. The upper body portion 1, or air-pressure body portion, forms an air-pressure chamber 5, having an air inlet 8a, which may be termed the air end of the dry pipe system, and within which is located the controlling 1919. Serial N0. 303,660.

valve to hold back the air fromv the water system, and to maintain the air pressure in the air pipe system. The lower body portion 2, or intermediate body portion,

forms a water-actuation chamber 6 located below the air valve and above the water valve 7. Y The lower chamber 6, is separated' from the upper chamber 5,'by the air valve and the means for supporting or mounting the air valve thereon. The lower chamber 6, has no connection with the. air part ofthe pipe system, although the lower chamber 6', at normal inoperative. periods is also dry. Entrance to the chamber 6, thatV is, for water, is controlled by the wet valve 7, the inlet end 8, of which is the water or wet en d section of the pipe system.

The wet inlet portion 8, is arranged to mount thereon a. wet valve seat 9, which is secured in any suitable manner to the adjacent valve body. Theupper edge 10, of the valve seat 9, is smooth and finished to make tight seat with its cooperating valve member 7.V v

The cooperating valve member 7, is substantially disk-like in form, as sho-wn in Fig. 2, and is provided with an inset seat 11, of any suitable semi-malleable or plastic compound set there-in, to cooperate with. the valve seat 10, to malte a water and air tight joint.

The wetvalve 7, is held in operative position, under tension, by a lever lock-arm 12, which is provided with a pivotal member or projection 13, which may be somewhat ball-jointed at it-s lower end to fit a preferably ball-jointed seat 14, machined or otherwise cut in the wet valve 7. The lever lockarm pivotal member 13, is provided with a neclr 15, so that the head thereof is shouldered.

The wet valve 7, is held in operativo relation withthe valve seat 11, and in association with the lock lever-arm 12, lby a split ring 16, secured lto the top of the wet valve -7, by screws or other suitable fastening means, so that the split ring engages the shouldered neck 15, of the lock lever-arm.

The locl lever-arm 12, is pivoted to the body portion 2, as at 17, and when the lool: lever-arm 12, is unlocked in the manner hereinafter to be described, by reason of the pressure Vof Athe water due to releasing of the wet valve 7, it will move or be thrown upwardly and backwardly, and with. it the wet valve 7, until it and the wet valve 7, rest in substantially the position indicated by the dotted lines 18, Fig. 1. It will Vthus be seen that when the lock lever-arm 12, andv latch member 20, so that when the trip latch member 20, is disengaged from said end 19,

the lock lever-arm 12, is released and with it the wet valve 7, toV permit flow oit water into the chamber 6. The trip latch member 20, is of triangular shape and one side thereof provides an extending portion orarm portion 21, which engages a. dry valve actuating latch hereinafter described. The trip latch 2O is provided with a weighted base Y portion 22, which may be made integral with the trip latch 20. The trip latch 20, is pivoted at one end of its base portion tothe body portion 2, as at 23, to permit the trip latch, when moved by the weight 22, to oscillate to substantially the position indicated by the dotted lines 25. The upper end of the arm Vportion 21, is arranged or shouldered to engage the dry valve actuating latch before-mentioned, and to be described. The arm portion 21, is provided near the lower inner end thereof with a lipped recess 27, arranged to cooperate with the end 19 ot the locking lever arm 12 so that when the end 19, is engaged therewith and the upper end of the arm portion 21, is engaged with said dry valve actuating latch as shown in Fig. l, the wet valve 7 is in locked inoperative and water tight position.

For actuation of my valve control to loch and unlock the same, l provide that such actuation is under the control of the dryvalve mechanism, generally denoted by 28.

By referring to Fig. 1, it will be noted, as previously described, that the valve body is divided into the main portions 1 and 2, which are joined in a water tight fit at the flanges 29 by any suitable means. Located between the portions 1 and 2, and held therebetween is a disk-like flexing member or diaphragm member generally denoted by 30, which comprises superimposed diaphragme, each diaphragm having thereon near its peripheral edge on the outer tace of the diaphragm concentric hollow beads 31 providing-on the inner face of the diaphragm concentric annular channels, the beads being spaced slightly apart on t-he diaphragm and, when the diaphragme are superimposed, registering channel to channel to torni concentric tube-lile portions for the superimposed diaphragins, whereby expansion and contraction ot the diaphragms is provied for and a flexing belt or zone is afforded tor upward and downward movement ot' the dry valve mechanism supported .by the diaphragins. I

li/ounted upon the flexing member or diaphragm 30, is the air valve mechanism generally denoted by 28, comprising the seat portion 32, the lower clamping portion 33,

Vand the dry valve 34, which is pivote-d to the Vseat portion 32, by a suitable pivot The dry valve 3l, is provided with a seat 34 Yformed by the seat portion 32, and the mounting and seating thereof is so simple that a more particular description of the valve 3a, is not thought necessary, the purpose ot the dry valve 3l, being to prevent passage of air ifi-oni the chamberb to the chamber 6, but to be releasa'ble or unloclable by the pressure of water flowing through the chamber 6, Vwhen the wet valve 7 is in released or unlocked position. l

A suitable lug 39, is Vprovided in the upper body portion 1, Fig. 1, to engage a projection 39, on the dry valve 34;, to lock or hold the valve 3l, in substantially the position indicated by the dotted lines 40, when the dry valve 35i., is thrown or moved upwardly by the pressure of water trom the inlet port 8.V

The clamping inember 33, carriesY thereon a Vdry valve actuating latch member 41, to engage the shouldered end 2G of Vthe trip latch member 2t), to hold my valve control closed and in position tor eventuality ot its operation. i

YVhile the dry valve 311, and its seat are eccentric or ott-set trom the axis ot my valve control, that is, eccentric to the axis ot the entire body portion thereo'li, it will be noted by referring to Figs. 1 and 2, that the belt or ZoneV 31, and the elements or parts 32, 33 and 34, when comprised in their connection transversely of the body portion of my valve control', are substantially concentric with the diaphragm 30, so that the inlet port 37, which is cut through the diaphragm 30, and housed by the members 32 and 33, is also `oli-set and substantially in alignment with the wet inlet port 8, thereby providing direct passage lior water from the inlet port 8, and chamber G, to the inlet port 3'?.

The operation ot my valve control is as' Jfollows:

its is common in .all pipeI nre-extinguishing systems, the pipe system with which my if'alve control is used has what may be termed a wet end and a dry end,` my device being placed between such ends and adjusted to such position as to maintain air pressure in the dry end ot the system, and to maintain water against said air pressure in the wet end ot the system, and to keep both said elements separated until my valve conti-ol is actuated by tire or other operating agency.

ln the present instance it would be prellO sumed that the chamber 5, is under air pressure in the usual manner with the dry valve Sli, located upon its seat. The air pressure in the chamber will cause the flexing member or diaphragm to be deflected downwardly and out of' normal position and so long as the air pressure is maintained in the chamber 5, the dry valve 34, and the supporting diaphragm will be kept in substantially the position shown in Fig. 1. In the foregoing described position the wet valve T, being seated and its locking lever arm l2, in engagement with the trip latch arm 2l, the cooperation of the dry valve actuating latch 4l, with the upper end ot' said arm 2l, serves to keep the wet valve 7, seated and to compress the same slightly due to the leverage exerted by the air pressure in chamber 5. Obviously as long as the air pressure is maintained in chamber 5, the wet valve 7, is maintained in water tight position, but upon relief of the air pressure in chamber 5, the diaphragm 30, with its dry valve mechanism springs upwardly to its normal position and takes with it the valve actuating latch 41, thereby releasing the trip latch arm 21, and the trip latch 20, due to the weight 22, falls back to substantially the dotted position and in so doing initially moves upwardly the arm i2, and the water pressure upon the wet valve 7, throws said valve and the locking arm l2, into substantially the dotted position 18, the water flowing through the chambers 6 and 5, and thence to the sprinkler head or heads of the pipe system.

In practice suitable doors, not shown, may be provided in the body portion of my valve control to afford means for adjusting or repairing` the mechanism. And in practice the chamber 6, may be drained in the usual manner by suitable outlet pipes, not shown, which may be provided with alarm devices in a well known manner. It is obvious from the foregoing description and the drawings, that only the simplest embodiment of my valve control is shown, and that modifications thereof or variations therein may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention or exceeding the scope of the claims.

Having thus described my l claim is:

l. A dry pipe valve comprising, a casing; dry valve mechanism; wet valve mechanism; superimposed diaphragms for supporting the dry valve mechanism; and a triangular latch member weighted on its hase and pivotally attached to the casing at an end formed by the base and one side invention, what and engageable at its apex with the dry valve mechanism and engageable with the wet valve mechanism at a point near the point of pivotal attachment of the triangular member to the casing for retaining the dry valve and wet valve mechanisms in normal closed position, and releasable from said engagements by movement of the dry valve mechanism by flexing of the diaphragms.

2. A dry pipe valve comprising, a casing; dry valve mechanism; a dependent member appurtenant to the dry valve mechanism; wet valve mechanism; a locking latch appurtenant to the wet valve mechanism; and

a latch member of substantially right angled triangular shape weighted on its base and pivotally attached to the casing lat an end formed by the base and one side and engageable at its apex with said dependent member and engageable in the line of hypotenuse with said locking latch at a point near the point of pivotal attachment of the triangular member to the casing for retaining the dry valve and wet valve mechanisms in normal closed position, a diaphragm and releasable from said engagements by movement of the dry valve mechanism by flexing of the diaphragms.

3. A valve control comprising a casing having dry and wet valve mechanism, superimposed diaphragms forming concentric tubes between themselves, for supporting the dry valve mechanism, a weighted triangular latch member pivoted to the casing for maintaining the wet valve mechanism normally in closed position, said latch being released by the movement of the dry valve mechanism through the flexing of the diaphragm, whereby to cause the wet valve to open.

4. A valve control comprising a casing having a dry and wet end, an air pressure chamber and an intermediate chamber between said ends, superimposed diaphragms forming concentric tubes between themselves, dry valve mechanism supported by said diaphragms, normally closed by the pressure of air, wet valve mechanism for the intermediate chamber, a weighted latch member mounted on the valve casing for engaging both the dry and wet valve mechanism, said latch being released from the dry valve mechanism by the actuation of the diaphragm and from the wet valve mechanism by gravity7 whereby to allow passage of water into the intermediate chamber.

CHARLES ADAMS, Jn.

lllitnesses Fnnnnnicx T. Sass, HAROLD D. PENNEY.

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